London-wide + Kingston stories

Olympic transport will not be as easy as the organisers hope

The Telegraph covers the advice by the 2012 Olympics organising committee that commuters should stay at home and avoid public transport during the Games, despite polls showing that 80% of Londoners plan to be in the city as normal.

Caroline Pidgeon comments:

Instead of relying on many commuters staying at home or avoiding London we need assurance that plans are in place and the transport network will be able to cope to prevent gridlock across the capital.

I fear travel will not be as easy as they hope.

You can read the full article here.

Site visit highlights A243 problems for Chessington residents

Caroline Pidgeon AM joined Lib Dem Cllr Tricia Bamford and officers from Transport for London and Kingston Council on Tuesday 14th December to have a look at a number of issues on the A243 and the impact they are having on local residents.

Caroline, Tricia and the officers walked along the A243 looking at a number of serious problems, including:

  • The need for pedestrian phases on the A243 by Merritt Gardens to help the local schools and health centre, as well as by the Hook Centre further down.
  • The need for more signage and road markings at the Bridge Road roundabout (pictured) where traffic congestion is increasing and there are problems with vehicles not getting into the correct lane.
  • The future plans for the Malden Rushett junction which have been drawn up and consulted on, but will need to be phased in over a number of years due to funding issues.

One in ten Londoners cannot access public transport

More than one in 10 Londoners are excluded from large sections of the public transport network because buses, trains and stations are not accessible to people with reduced mobility - and the situation is set to get worse, says a new study from the London Assembly Transport Committee.

The detailed study reveals that there far more needs to be done to introduce step-free access and other accessibility measures, and points out that by 2031, more than a million Londoners will have reduced mobility

In particular:

Why do we still not know how noisy London has become?

Speaking on the first day of the judicial review into the decision by Newham Council to allow 50% more flights a year from London City Airport, Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, said:

“I wish the campaigners every success with their legal action. The aviation industry has a long record of exaggerating their economic importance while denying the true impact they have in terms of noise, disturbance and harm to the environment, and this is especially the case in relation to City Airport.

Caroline Pidgeon welcomes South West Trains' backdown on Oyster

South West Trains’ decision to start equipping their ticket machines to sell Oyster PAYG top-up at their stations in the London area has been warmly welcomed by Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group.

Just weeks ago Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, told Caroline Pidgeon that South West Trains was the only train operating company in London refusing to sell Oyster tickets or provide Oyster top-ups for passengers. At the time the Mayor also stated that South West Trains did not even have any plans to start selling Oyster tickets in the near future.

Ed Davey’s Annual Dinner

Caroline was delighted to attend Ed Davey MP’s annual dinner on Saturday 6th November with guest speaker Susan Kramer.

“It was fantastic to catch up with many friends in Kingston and to hear from Susan and Ed about the work they have done locally and the position nationally for the party”.

“I have enjoyed campaigning with Ed Davey and the local Kingston Lib Dems on many issues including re-zoning Kingston and Surbiton stations, the mayor’s removal of one day travelcards for outer London and the new school bus for Chessington” commented Caroline.

Remembrance Sunday tube closures are an insult to veterans

Commenting on Transport for London’s plans to close several tube lines serving central London on Remembrance Sunday - when only three tube lines will provide a "good" service - Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, said:

“Thousands of veterans and their families will wish to come into central London to take part in the Remembrance Sunday events at the Cenotaph.

“It is simply disgraceful that so many tube lines will be closed on this very important day, making access difficult if not impossible for veterans, their families and others wishing to honour our armed forces.”

“I know that many Londoners will wish to show their appreciation to veterans and honour those who have fallen in combat. The Mayor and Transport for London need to rethink their plans."

Meeting Kingston Liberal Democrat Councillors

Caroline met with Kingston Liberal Democrat Councillors on Monday 25th October as part of a series of meetings with Lib Dem Council Groups across London.

A number of important issues were discussed, such as funding for the Freedom Pass and the threat to the London Grants Scheme. Local concerns such as rezoning Kingston Station, serious traffic problems in Chessington and South West Trains not selling Oystercards were also raised.

“It was a delight to meet the Councillors who are running Kingston Council and to hear about some of the big issues affecting their area” commented Caroline Pidgeon AM.

TfL and unions must both put passengers first

Caroline Pidgeon has backed a recent House of Commosn motion tabled by Martin Horwood MP, the co-chair of the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Committee on Transport, denouncing the recent tube strikes and highlighting the inconvenience suffered by commuters. Martin has criticised both the unions and the Mayor of London’s office for not doing enough to reach an agreement between all parties, and encouraged the Mayor of London to bring the current talks to a settlement.

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